Beauty has come a long way, especially in the last few years. Guys are fronting major beauty campaigns, cosmetics are available at every price point, and you can find a lipstick in every color of the rainbow at your local drugstore. Outside of Instagram and late-night Bushwick raves, I’ve often wondered about the type of look that could support such non-traditional hues, and I’ve even flirted with the idea late night on Twitter. But in real life? I decided to push myself outside my comfort zone with a beauty dare.
Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Squid Ink has always intrigued me. The Amuse Bouche formula is one of the best (if not the best) lipsticks on the market, due in large part to their excellent pigmentation and creamy finish. Naturally, the most premium blue lipstick experience I could have would be with this formula. Applying blue lipstick, like a lot of dark & non-traditional colors takes some finesse.
Squid Ink is described as a “deep navy with black”, but the first pass of color straight from the bullet isn’t fully opaque like it might be with more traditional lipstick colors. This isn’t exclusive to the Bite shade, I found. In fact, most blue lipsticks require a few passes to build up to full opacity, which speaks to larger issues with the blue pigments than to specific formulas.
As for wearability, I’ve experienced similar shades draining the color from my face, so I opted for a sculpted look created entirely with the LORAC PRO Contour Palette. Keeping the look warm & simple everywhere else allowed the lips to stand out without completely pulling focus. I was also worried about my teeth appearing yellow, but I feel like instead, they appeared even brighter. Is blue lipstick the new white teeth lifehack?
If spending $26 on a blue lipstick isn’t your jam, try Maybelline’s Loaded Bolds Lipstick in Midnight Blue for $7.49. The shade isn’t quite as deep as Squid Ink, but you could mix it with a black lipstick for added depth.
